Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-04-13
DAILY HERALD.
HORRIBLE ACCIDENT.
Mrs. E. A. Cox Instantly
Killed by a Train.
A YOUNG LADY INJURED.
A Train Backs Down on % Phaet0n
and Kills One and Injuries
Two.

Another shocking railroad accident
occurred yesterday afternoon short
after four o'clock, this time at the ell
trance of the bridge leading to East Lo
Angeles. The unfortunate lady who los
her life was the wife of Ernest A. Cox
of the firm of Russell, Cox & Brant, req
estate agents, and her guest, Mis-
Augusta Winstanley, was seriously in
jured. 1t appears that Mr.. E. A Co:
and Mrs. Cox were taking Miss Win
stanley on pleasure drive to East Lo
Angeles to show her the country roun
about, when the accident occurret
which shocked everybody who heard o
it as we'll as those who saw it. Th'
train which leaves the depot at 4:l6 fo
Pasadena, Raymond and Duarte wa
standing on the track in from
of the depot at this time. and was max
ing preparations to depart. In conse
guence there was large number of peo
pie as we'll as buses and carriages at th,
depot, and nearly all of them were wit
nesses of the accident. Mrs. Cox was
driving the pheton, which was one Of
those low-rigged vehicles so frequently
seen driven by ladies. 1t had small
seat in front on which was seated Miss
Winstanley, and Mr.. Cox was seated al
the left of his wife. When the phetor
arrived opposite the train at the entrance
to the bridge. it was observed by the
people that the train was in motion and
backing down towards the unfortunates.
There was then no time to give warn
ing.
THE ACCIDENT.
Everybody was too Mortified to be
able to give utterance to warning cry,
and when the catastrophe happened
and the first shock was over,
there were hundreds of willing
hands ready to render all the assistance
in their power. There was no time to
warn the engineer, several car-lengths
ahead, that there was any one on the
track, or that there was the least danger
to passing vehicles. Even the piercing
scream which Miss Winstanley gave did
not reach his ear, and the train backed
on, striking the carriage just as the front
wheel reached the track nearest the
bridge, and the hind wheel stood on the
other rail. The train was not going fast
enough to destroy the carriage instantly,
but sufficiently fast to prolong the sus'
pense of the people and the terror of the
occupants of the vehicle. The people
saw the carriage swept along by the rear
end of the baggage-car towards the rail
which separates the street.car tracks
from the other part of the bridge, and
the horse was carried struggling
to this point, where the shafts
and harness broke and left him
on the bridge. while the carriage went
on down the river some fifteen or twenty
feet, its occupants struggling wildly to
escape from the awful fate which await
ed at least one of them. From the time
the first scream was given by Mics Win
stanley no sound was made by any OF
the three, and it was not until the car.
riage struck some projection in the track
that it gave way completely. and its oc'
cupants disappeared from view under
the car which was then nearly still.
THE SCENE.
When the people who were nearest to
the scene reached them it was found
that Mrs. Cox and Miss Winstanley were
dead, but Mr.. Cox had
escaped and had extricated himself from
beneath the car and the ruins of the
vehicle, and was limping to the assist
ance of his wife. Willing hands soon sue.
ceeded in dragging the two ladies from
beneath the Car, when it was discovered
that Mrs. Cox had breathed her last and
that Miss Winstanley was seriously if
not fatally injured. Miss Winstanley
was placed in hack and with DR.. Kurtz
was driven to No. 40 West Third street,
where it was ascertained that she had
been injured internally. DR.. Kurtz,
who attended her, stated that her spine
had probably been injured and that her
left eye had been badly confused, besides
various other bruises on her body. She
was resting easy at late hour last night
aud said she felt much better than it was
supposed she would from the nature OF
the injuries.
At the same time that she was placed
in the hack Mrs. Cox was tenderly lifted
and carried by her husband and several
others into the baggage.room of the
depot, where it was discovered that her
neck was broken and that her head had
been badly crushed, probably by the
wheels of the car, for opposite the wreck
of the pheton on the track were seen II
portion of her brains. Long after the
accident occurred this spot was visited
by many people who viewed the wrecked
carriage and stood clustered about the
spot where it happened. As soon was
possible
MRS. CoX's REMAINS
Were conveyed to the undertaking rooms
of Orr & Sutch, where they now are.
As soon as it was known that Mrs.
Cox had been killed word was sent to
her numerous friends, and from ! o'clock
until the inquest began the undertakers
rooms were filled with weeping ladies.
Shortly after the acciden it was dis.
covered that Miss Winstanley had not
been taken to No. Oil South Hill street,
where it was supposed she was going,
and for an hour the telephones were kept
busy by friends trying to ascertain where
she had been conveyed. The report was
circulated that she had also died, but it
was afterward ascertained chat she
was at the residence of Mr..
Stanton, No. 40 West Third
street. This announcement partially
allayed the uneasiness of her friends.
Miss Winstanley recently came here
from Tulare on visit, but her home, ii
is stated, is in Canada.
Shortly after s o'clock jury was i'm
paneled and an inquest on the remaini
of Mrs. Cox was commenced before Jus
tice Taney, acting as Coroner in the
illness of Coroner Meredith. A large
number of witnesses had been sum-
moned. Joseph Hughes, DR.. G.. s. Aller
and James Morley testified to the fact!
as above except that they swore that
there was no fagman, nor brakeman
near to give warning.
Ernest A. Cox testified that he did mo-
see the cars until they had got almos
across the track and then they wer'
ohout five feet away His wife had en-